


The story of how a career and a miner fell in love - and other stuff happens

by abraxos_sniffing_flowers



Category: Red Queen - Victoria Aveyard
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, F/M, Spoiler Warning: Shade lives, there isn't a lot of this ship soo you're welcome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 22:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11838186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abraxos_sniffing_flowers/pseuds/abraxos_sniffing_flowers
Summary: All Farley wants is to help the Scarlet Guard. All Shade wants is to help the women he may be slightly in love with aid the Scarlet Guard.*told in snippets of time frames*





	The story of how a career and a miner fell in love - and other stuff happens

**Author's Note:**

> Farley is a Career from District 4  
> Shade is a Miner from District 12

**~District 4, 4 years, 2 months before~**

“As always, ladies first,” the over exuberant, way-too-high-pitched capitol representative squeals, making Farley cringe. One more year until she could live in victor’s village and never had to listen to that voice in person again. “Iris Cygnet-”

“I volunteer as tribute” Farley’s voice is loud and sure, unfaltering in it’s purpose as she raises a shakeless hand. Her eyes catch the mayor’s daughter as her body seems to collapse in relief. Farley struts up to the stage with a slight smirk.

“And your name, dear?” The microphone is thrust in front of her face unceremoniously. She barely blinks in surprise.

“Diana Farley.” Her reply is clipped and dangerous, a clear dare to any other tribute. She curls a lip to add to the effect. Her father stands in the crowd behind the barriers and nods at her, his one good eye seeming proud of her. He had trained her since she could walk to win these games. She would be the reaper from hell.

**~Victor’s village, 1 year, 2 months before~**

She watched the reapings with hawks eyes, assessing everyone with her clear head and crisp eyes. She saw nothing interesting in the ten year olds from district nine and reviewed how screwed they were against everyone else.

1,2, the usual careers, tough but honestly brainless. 3, 4, smarter but not necessarily tougher. 5,6, boring, unlikely to become victors despite how intimidating the 5 girl looks. 7, 8, brawny and brainy but ultimately unfit for the games. She watches 10’s reaping and adds to the list.

9,10, children.

The 11’s were obviously good with scythes but not much else.

_And the runts come along_  Farley thinks as she watches 12’s reaping on her screen.

“Ladies first… Poppy Harthway” a whole lot of annoyed murmurs burst throught the crowd as a smaller-than-average 13 year old walked on stage.

“And the boy… Alexander Harthway,” silence as an equally frail looking 16 year old walks out of his section. Farley normally tried to be apathetic, but when two siblings with an equally horrible chance at winning are chosen, she felt a pang of sympathy.

“I volunteer as tribute,” the words shock her as she watches a thin but muscular 18 year old step out of the crowd. He stalks forward and lets Alexander embrace him in relief. Farley notes the 18 year old whisper something inaudible that made Alex slump further in relief.

“And what’s your name?” The capitol lady asks the man when he reaches the stage.

“Shade Barrow,” he doesn’t stutter and Farley gains a lot of respect for him because of it. He had the broad shoulders of a miner and was tall with short brown hair and golden brown eyes. Attractive for someone from district 12.

They lead them off the stage and the broadcast automatically turns off.

Farley lets her tense shoulders drop and stands to place her now-empty coffee cup in the kitchen.

With four words, this games just got a hell of a lot more interesting. She was now curious to see how this year’s games played out.

**~Capitol, 1 month before~**

“Farley!” she recognises the yelling voice and turns slightly to face the other victor jogging toward her. She raises an eyebrow as he falls into step beside her. His long legs kept up with her pace easily and she didn’t bother trying to outrun him. They walk towards the training centre in a brisk pace and Farley notes a scowl cross Shade’s face.

“I hate this place,” she nods, underdstanding what he meant. She didn’t enjoy being in the Capitol either.

“I saw your sister get reaped. I-”

“If you say ‘I’m sorry’ I will throw something at you.”

“I was going to ask if she was handling this okay, you ass,” Farley punches his arm for interrupting her. He jokingly recoils from her, feigning pain and rubbing his arm. She doesn’t tell him that punching him is like punching concrete. No point boosting his ego.

“Mare’s okay. She’s tough. Besides, she’ll train as hard as possible to win.”

“I can’t imagine she enjoys listening to you in any aspect of life,” he releases a small humourless chuckle.

“She keeps saying that she can do it herself, but what I wouldn’t have given for guidance last year,” Farley nods at his words.

“Well, maybe she’s just stubborn enough to win. If I remember correctly, you were.”

“Yeah but that was because I had promised mum I’d stay alive. And now I’ve promised her I’ll train her daughter who is just as stubborn. How are your careers?”

Farley sighs and runs a hand through her short blond hair.

“As bloodthirsty as ever.”

**~ 1 week before ~**

Shade sat hunched on the seat, watching the holograph with razor edge focus, his knee bouncing erratically and annoyingly. Mare is on the screen, fighting with a girl with silver hair who is covered in scarlet blood.

“Evangeline Samos, district 2, so far, 4 kills,” Farley whispers, stance matched with Shade.

“Mare Barrow, district 12, so far, 5 kills,” he bites back, turning to glare with molten eyes, “I don’t need the run through of everyone. You know Mare’s training score makes her dangerous.”

“Yeah, and take it from someone who got the same impossible score, it also makes her a target, Shade. I’m saying the stats because I believe in knowing my enemy, not to deter you,” his tapping knee begins to annoy her and she pushes it down with her hand and holds it.

“She’ll be fine. I’m sure of it.”

“I hope you’re right, Farley.”

They return to strained silence.

Her hand doesn’t leave his knee.

**~ Present ~**

The bunker was disgusting, the air constantly either moist or stale. She hated feeling confined, and this was the epitome of a military style cage. But at least she’d been given clearance to go anywhere, unlike the man that walked next to her, a warm hand pressed gently against her lower back. She relished in it.

The Scarlet Guard (why they were called that no one knew) had set up headquarters all around the country, including deep underground the Capitol. This bunker exists under the ruin of district 12 and is where most of command resides.

As well as where they were keeping the presidents son.

Well ex-presidents son. The extraction was messy, let's just say that.

“Do you think this will work?” Shade’s voice was soft to ensure it didn’t echo down the corridor.

“It has to,” she murmurs, nodding at the guard as they walk past his post. Shade mimics the gesture with same solemnity. “We just need to pray that the Colonel isn’t around his cell.”

“Colonel doesn’t give a shit ‘bout Calore, he won’t be there. Mare’s cell though…” Shade trails off and Farley knows exactly where his mind goes. The stunt that the two of them pulled… breaking the arena. It was dangerous. And Capitol level stupid. Plus pissing off the higher-ups in the guard is never a good choice.

“Your sister will be harder to get out but we’ll manage. We always do.”

They continued their brisk pace down the hall towards the cellblocks. Shade’s hand never moves from her lower back. Honestly, he hadn’t strayed from her much in the last couple of weeks, maybe because she was his only… friend or… other things.

But Farley didn’t have time to think about the middle Barrow child.

No, she had a presidents son to rescue.

 

 


End file.
